


dove at first sight

by ohvictor



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Birds, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Nonbinary Character, Other, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 09:56:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17506424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohvictor/pseuds/ohvictor
Summary: Kaoru finds an injured dove on the rooftop one day, and there's just one person at Yumenosaki who would know exactly how to help.





	dove at first sight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vaahtokarkki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaahtokarkki/gifts).



> this is a commission for wabby! i'm so happy to be able to write for her, and i'm excited to add to the watakao tag as well <3 i hope you enjoy!
> 
> a small warning: there's a brief description of/references to (offscreen) animal injury in this fic, but it's not graphic, and the animal is all right.

The end of the school day finds Kaoru stretched out on the rooftop of one of the main buildings, headphones jammed in his ears and music blasting. He’s skipped his last class of the day in favor of coming up here and trying not to think about anything, but despite these efforts, he’s spent the last hour feeling bad.

At least he’s feeling bad while soaking up sunlight on the roof rather than trapped in a classroom with a bunch of guys he doesn’t want to look at right now...right?

In the gap between songs, despite his best attempts to shut off his brain activity until the music resumes, he hears a strange noise, barely feet away. He startles, his limbs flailing out as he tries to sit up faster than his brain can keep him coordinated. Pulse hammering in his ears, he scans the rooftop for company, but it’s empty.

Maybe just a bird, then. He takes a breath carefully, trying to iron out the tremors in his chest, but when he begins to lie back down, he hears the sound again.

This time, he can tell it’s not human, and he’s got an idea of where it’s coming from. Kaoru rips out his headphones, letting them drop and collect on the ground where he was lying, and strides over to where he thinks the noise is coming from.

Behind one of the raised vent boxes—at least that’s what Kaoru thinks it is, not like he’s an expert on rooftops—is a dove.

Instantly he thinks of Hibiki—and then hates himself for that, because Hibiki Wataru doesn’t have a monopoly on doves. Even though...okay, this _is_ Yumenosaki, and even if the dove is not one of Hibiki’s pets, Kaoru has a feeling they’re at least _acquainted_. So it’s logical, isn’t it, and not just because Kaoru was thinking about Hibiki. Yeah.

He crouches down, unsure what to do. He hasn’t seen a dove up close like this before, but even he can tell the dove is holding one of its wings strangely; it’s tucked against its body with an odd crook in the bone. Kaoru’s heart begins to beat faster. What if this _is_ one of Hibiki’s doves, and it’s been injured...? How long has it been up here, probably unable to fly, before Kaoru heard it peeping?

Well... Whether the dove is Hibiki’s or not, the person who would know how to help it is _certainly_ Hibiki. As much as Kaoru desperately wants to avoid _that_ (that is, interacting with Hibiki, or putting his fragile heart in Hibiki’s vicinity for any amount of time), he has to do this. For the dove!

Slowly, he puts his hand out to the dove, as if it’s a cat and would want to sniff his hand before interacting. The dove cranes its neck towards Kaoru’s fingers, and Kaoru flinches back, worried about being pecked—but the dove struggles forward, wings flapping uselessly at its sides, to chase Kaoru’s hand, so Kaoru puts his hand back, and with a bit of difficulty, the dove nestles itself into Kaoru’s palm.

This probably confirms it’s one of Hibiki’s, then, because Kaoru doesn’t think a wild dove would allow a human to hold it so easily, or even climb into a human’s hands. Kaoru cups his other hand under the dove—it’s too big for one palm, and heavier than he expected a bird would be—and lifts it to eye level, turning it this way and that so he can see it more clearly. Besides the bent wing, it seems to be fine. There isn’t any blood, at least, and Kaoru’s sure he would be able to see any red on the dove’s soft white feathers. The knot of worry in his chest loosens the more he examines the dove; it seems in good spirits, too, rustling its feathers and prodding Kaoru’s fingers with its beak as Kaoru shifts it this way and that.

With the dove still in his hands, Kaoru gets unsteadily to his feet and makes his way back across the rooftop to where he left his bag, which he eases onto his shoulder with less difficulty than he expected, the dove easily accommodating him as he shifts it to one palm so he can slip the bag on and then back into both hands. He doesn’t have any food with him, but he also doesn’t know what doves _eat_.

The question now, of course, is where to find Hibiki. But Kaoru has another place he thinks he could go in the meantime.

With classes over for the day, the hallways and paths between buildings are mostly empty, save a few students from the other courses who pay Kaoru no attention as he skulks past with his hands cupped close to his chest. It’s a relief that no one stops him, and by the time he arrives at the marine bio clubroom, the dove is dozing off, oblivious, in Kaoru’s sweaty palms. (Once he’s safely through the clubroom door, he holds it up to his ear to see if it’s snoring.) (It’s not.)

The marine bio clubroom is dark, or as dark as a room can be when lit by dozens of fluorescent tank lights on the shelves that line the walls, all reflected through water that sends the light bouncing and shivering up the walls and floor. The trickle and hum of dozens of filters is the only sound that greets Kaoru, but the dove stirs in Kaoru’s hands as he walks further in, as if sensing something Kaoru doesn’t.

Kanata appears from behind a tower of boxes, and if this hadn’t happened many times before, Kaoru probably would have startled and dropped the dove. As is, his heartbeat skyrockets, but he plays it off, smiling easily. “Kanata-kun.”

“It’s Kaoru,” Kanata hums, stepping closer. His sharp eyes immediately spot the dove. “Is that ‘pudding’?”

“No...? It’s a dove, look.” Kaoru holds his hands out to Kanata, offering him the dove.

Kanata doesn’t reach out to take it, but he leans closer, lowering his face to meet the dove at eye level. “Pudding,” he repeats.

The dove coos, craning its neck towards Kanata. Kanata looks up at Kaoru. “It _is_ Pudding.”

 _Ah_ — That must be its name. Kaoru’s heart clenches in his chest— _what a cute name for a dove_...!

“I found it on the rooftop,” he tells Kanata. “I think it’s hurt. Do you...”

He wants to ask if Kanata knows where Hibiki is. But what comes out is, “Do you have any medicine or anything in here that could work on a dove?”

Kanata looks up at Kaoru, his lips curling into a frown. “I do not ‘think’ so. But you know who would,” he says, “is Wa~taru.”

The way Kanata draws out Hibiki’s name is probably not on purpose, because sometimes Kanata says people’s names like that, but it still makes Kaoru’s cheeks flare red as if it was a personal attack.

“Well... Yes, but...” Kaoru fumbles for an excuse, staring down at the dove in his hands. “I-If I show Hibiki I’ve got one of their doves and it’s injured, what if they think I did it...?”

“It is _obvious_ that you did not ‘hurt’ her,” Kanata reprimands, bapping Kaoru gently on the nose. Kaoru flinches back, blinking rapidly. “Wa~taru will be happy that she is in good ‘hands’. Do you know where the theatre clubroom is?”

Kaoru has a pretty good idea. “No,” he says.

Kanata gives him a look as if Kaoru is purposefully being difficult, which he is. “It is ‘downstairs’. I am _sure_ you can find it.”

When Kaoru doesn’t move, Kanata gives Kaoru’s shoulder a little push. “Go on.”

It seems if he tries to dawdle any longer Kanata will kick him out more forcefully, so Kaoru carries Pudding back out of the clubroom and stands reluctantly in the hallway. He looks down at the dove in his hands, and watches her fluff herself up and nuzzle gently at his thumb.

She is a sweet bird, he thinks. She’d be much happier in top condition, maybe flapping up to rest on his shoulder and nibble at his ear, or flying off on her own to do Hibiki’s business. Kaoru really should return her to Hibiki, even if the thought of going to find and talk to Hibiki makes his heart feel like it’s going to vibrate out of his chest.

He can’t stand here forever, though, if only because at some point Kanata will probably sense him and come out to give him a much less gentle bap. So he makes his feet move forward, walking slowly back down the hall in the direction of the stairs. He focuses on Pudding as he walks, holding her carefully to his chest, and though the building isn’t empty, he doesn’t encounter anyone who gives him a second glance.

When he reaches the correct floor, he finds a door labeled _Theatre Club_ , with a dove’s feather helpfully taped under the plaque, which seems like the place to go. Kaoru shifts Pudding into one palm and knocks lightly on the door with his freed hand, and, upon receiving no response, he knocks again, then tries the door. It’s unlocked, and when there’s still no reaction from inside, he cracks the door open and peers inside.

The room is empty of people, although cluttered with boxes and costumes. Kaoru steps over papers and hats and scraps of fabric as he makes his way into the room. A bag and jacket he thinks may be Hibiki’s are strewn on one of the couches, but there’s no note or other indication of where Hibiki went or when they might return. There’s no doves here, either, although there is a bird cage stacked haphazardly on top of boxes in one corner, with the little door hanging open. Kaoru wonders the last time that cage was used.

He stands in the center of the room, unsure of what to do. In his hands, Pudding coos softly, rustling her feathers between Kaoru’s fingers. He looks down at her, and gives her head a pet with the side of his thumb. If Hibiki isn’t here, Kaoru could just leave Pudding here and go, assuming Hibiki will be back eventually. Hibiki would probably think Pudding had just come back on her own, and if Kanata tells on Kaoru, at least Kaoru won’t have to be there to deal with it.

This seems like a good plan. He approaches the couch with Hibiki’s things on it, intending to let Pudding down here so she can nestle in Hibiki’s jacket if she gets cold. As soon as he starts to lower his hands, though, the door bangs open, and Kaoru whirls around to see who’s entered.

Hibiki stands in the doorway, their hair streaming out behind them and their cheeks flushed as if they’ve been running. Their expression is different from any Kaoru’s seen on them; not excited, not mischievous, not acting, but genuinely afraid. It’s vulnerable, like something Kaoru doesn’t think he’s supposed to see. Hibiki’s eyes scan the room and fix on Kaoru, wide and nervous, and then they spot Pudding in Kaoru’s hands, and it’s as if their whole body collapses inwards with a relieved sigh.

“Ah, you found Pudding,” they say, hurrying across the room—Kaoru notes how easily they avoid the objects on the floor, as if they memorized exactly what’s there—and reaching out their hands. Now their expression is back to something Kaoru would have expected—neutral, curious. Pudding tries to hop up in Kaoru’s palms, but stumbles instead. Kaoru steps forward and holds out his hands to Hibiki, transferring Pudding over to them as soon as they’re close enough. Their fingers touch, and Kaoru can’t tell if his fingers actually jolt from a spark of static electricity or if they just _feel_ like they do.

Hibiki takes Pudding in their hands and holds her up to their face, examining her carefully. Kaoru watches as they lift her wings and feel under her body for her legs, and then he watches the purse of Hibiki’s lips, the way their lips move faintly as if whispering to themself. Without a word to Kaoru, Hibiki bustles over to where the birdcage is, and Kaoru opens his mouth to say something—stupid, to tell Hibiki, owner of multiple doves, that Pudding might not be able to stand on the little birdcage perch—but then Hibiki’s moving the cage aside (how? Aren’t both their hands occupied?) and opening one of the boxes underneath. They pull out a small bottle of something and a roll of bandages, and sit gingerly on the couch beside their bag. Setting Pudding in their lap, they get to work, wrapping her injured wing in bandages and helping her take some of what’s in the bottle.

Kaoru stands awkwardly in the middle of the room, unsure if he should go. Hibiki hasn’t said anything yet, but they’re focusing on their bird, who’s injured, so of course that would be their priority. The irony is not lost on Kaoru, either—he’d come here wanting to avoid interacting much with Hibiki, for the sake of his own fragile heart, and now he’s staying despite his task being done.

He steps forward, and Hibiki looks up from where they’re adjusting Pudding’s bandages.

“Kaoru-kun,” they say, as if they just remembered he’s still there, and their face lights up with a smile. “Thank you for finding my Pudding—did you know that’s her name? You took wonderful care of her, I’m very grateful...”

“Yeah, Kanata-kun told me her name,” Kaoru says, avoiding the rest of the statement. Hibiki seems to shine brighter at this news.

“So you and Kanata found her! Oh, a meeting of kind souls,” they murmur, punctuating the words with a gentle pat to Pudding’s head.

“No,” Kaoru corrects, not sure why he’s doing so, “I found her. On the rooftop. And then I brought her to Kanata-kun because...” _Because I’m a nervous idiot._ “Because... I thought he might know what to do.”

“Oh? But Kanata wouldn’t know how to help a dove,” Hibiki sighs. “He only knows fish and such creatures, and you can put a bandage on a bird but if you put it on a fish it might just wiggle off, you know? I hope you know, because I don’t,” they laugh. “But even so, you did the right thing, and in the end, it brought Pudding back to me... I must thank you.”

“T... Thank me,” Kaoru repeats, as Hibiki places Pudding on the couch beside them and gets to their feet.

“Yes,” Hibiki murmurs, stepping closer to Kaoru. “For bringing me back something very precious to me.”

For half a second, Kaoru thinks Hibiki’s going to kiss him, and his face flares red in preparation, but what happens instead is Hibiki says, “Ah, what is it people do as thanks...? Perhaps we can make plans another day? I can buy us lunch, or... I could ask Rei, but he doesn’t use his phone...”

Kaoru relates to the difficulty in reaching his unit leader. Seeing Hibiki caught between options, not magically pulling answers out of hats, is a new side of them, and Kaoru’s surprised to find it just as charming as he seems to find all of Hibiki’s other sides.

“What do you like to eat?” he asks, avoiding Hibiki’s eyes as Hibiki looks up. “I know a lot of nice cafes and stuff around here...”

“Oh...?” Hibiki cocks their head to one side, adorably birdlike. “If Kaoru-kun has a place he likes to eat, that would be the best!”

“Yeah, I...” Kaoru’s heart is beating very fast. “Let me...give you my number...? I’ll think about some options and text you, okay?”

Hibiki nods quickly. “Yes, yes...” They backtrack to their bag, still splayed on the couch, and dig their phone out of it. Kaoru’s too caught up in the number exchange to pay attention to Hibiki’s phone case, and after he’s finished inputting Hibiki’s number, Hibiki’s already tucked their phone away again. Kaoru texts them a dove emoji—topical!—and then puts his phone away as well.

He watches Hibiki pick Pudding up again, holding her close to their face and murmuring to her. “I’ll be going, then,” he says, and then adds, his face flushing again, “I’ll be sure to do some cafe research and get back to you.”

Hibiki looks up at Kaoru—Pudding also looks up, her head bobbing in the same direction as Hibiki’s—and beams. “I’ll see you again, Kaoru-kun!”

The combined head turn is too cute to look at any longer. Kaoru grips the handle of his bag tightly. “See you,” he nods, and hurries out of the room before his face can get any redder.

**Author's Note:**

> pudding, the name i used for wataru's dove, is one of the names wabby uses for wataru's doves!
> 
> find me [on twitter](http://twitter.com/worldsearchyou)!


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